NICOSIA, May 12 (Xinhua) -- A freak summer whirlwind hit several mountain communities north of the port city of Limassol, causing damages to crops and houses, authorities said on Saturday.
"The whirlwind blew away everything in its path. It uprooted or broke down pine and fruit trees, damaged vine yards and houses, threw down sun heating systems and damaged irrigation and drinking water pipes," said Andreas Orphanou, the community leader of Trimiklini.
He added that there were no reported injuries.
The village is on the road from Limassol to the popular mountain resorts of Platres and Troodos, a route followed each day by thousands of tourists and locals.
Orphanou said that an open air market of local produce at the village was turned into shreds.
The economy of the communities hit by the whirlwind depends on tourism, fruit planting and wine production, including some of the best Cypriot wines.
The extent of the damage to vine yards has not been estimated yet.
Large scale tornadoes or whirlwinds are rare in Cyprus, but once they occur, usually at the end of spring, they cause damage and sometimes serious injuries.
